Reasons to Fight
by Gunlord500
Summary: Secret Santa 2012 fic for Rawkhawk-a small little Raven x Fiora piece. Enjoy!


Reasons to Fight

Raven x Fiora

A trio of slashes from the red-haired mercenary left a trio of Black Fang thugs lying dead on the ground. He heard the beating of wings from behind him and whirled around, expecting to face another foe, but found he had nothing to worry about. Those wings belonged to the mount of an ally, a Pegasus Knight who had embedded her spear into the neck of a Myrmidon creeping up on him.

"Are you Raven?" she asked. A pretty woman, obviously of Ilian descent, with a shapely body, teal-blue hair, and soft blue eyes, he had never seen her before. He nodded in the affirmative, not entirely sure of what she wanted from him.

"My name is Fiora. I have joined Lord Eliwood's army here on Valor to fight the Black Fang." There was a pallor on her face as she said this, as if she felt guilty for joining the Elite, whatever her reasons were. "I was told you'd been separated from the main body of our forces, and I was sent to bring you back."

Raven nodded again, and his taciturn demeanor apparently surprised her a bit, since he said nothing to her—no introduction or anything—before marching up and getting on the back of her mount.

"Oh! Um…you are Sir Raven, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Finally, he spoke. "I got too caught up in the battle back there and lost track of my position. Thanks for the ride."

That seemed to be a good enough explanation for her, and with a flap of its wings her Pegasus took both of them into the misty skies of Valor. Raven wondered how the flying horse would get them to their destination when fog covered the ground below them, but gave the question little thought—the army's tactician was most capable, and wouldn't have sent someone to fetch him if they couldn't find their way back.

Fiora, on the other hand, found her new guest to be somewhat more interesting. "Sir Raven," she asked hesitantly, "You are a mercenary as well, aren't you?"

"I am."

Her almost-sad expression seemed to brighten, albeit almost imperceptibly. "Like my sisters and I, then. I'm glad to meet you."

"Hm. Don't get your hopes up, though. We don't have much in common."

"Pardon? Why do you say that?"

"I've heard a lot about Pegasus Knights. Your loyalty to your employers is absolute, and you send all the money you make back to your families in Ilia. That's definitely not why I fight. I doubt I'm even capable of such charity."

"Well…we all fight for different reasons," said Fiora, not wanting to offend her new friend, "but though we've just met, you strike me as a capable warrior, and Eliwood would not hire a villain or coward to serve him."

Raven simply shrugged, and proceeded to say nothing for the remainder of their short trip back to the main body of the army. If she wanted to believe he was a good man, there was no reason to disillusion her…for now, at least.

-X-

These battles were getting harder. And that pretty blue-haired Pegasus Knight—Fiora—was in trouble. She was performing well against the Wyvern Knights up in the air, but those Archers on the ground would shoot her down if they were allowed to draw a bead on her. Raven wouldn't let that happen. As Fiora dispatched the last of her foes, Raven jumped out of his hiding place to slaughter the bowmen before they could fire. She heard the commotion from below and brought her mount down just in time to see Raven wiping his blade with a satisfied sigh.

"Those archers…Sir Raven, thank you," she smiled warmly. "You may have saved my life."

"You don't need to call me 'Sir' Raven. I'm just a mercenary, not a knight. But you're welcome, Fiora."

She looked around. "It seems we've become separated from our allies again. Want another ride?"

"Sure." As before, he got on the back of her mount and they lifted off together, though now Raven wasn't worried about getting lost—they were back on the mainland at the moment, and there was no fog to obscure their way. Even if there was, however, he wouldn't have worried—he had gained a healthy respect for Fiora's skill. And it seemed she felt the same way about his swordsmanship.

"Sir…I mean Raven," she asked, "After the battle, may I ask a favor from you?"

"What is it?"

"Your skill with the blade is most impressive. I would be honored if you'd spar with me for a bit after this battle is over. The most skilled and prestigious soldiers of my country, the Falcoknights, wield the sword as well as the spear, and I would like to learn from you."

Raven laughed. "Sure, no problem. We can start right when he get back to camp. But don't expect me to go easy on you, even if you're a first-timer!"

"Never!"

-x-

"Not bad at all. You've got the basics down, I think."

Both he and Fiora were quite tired, but happy. They were sitting next to each other, sharing a drink in front of a warm fire within the army encampment an evening after their last battle. As he'd promised, Raven had sparred with Fiora a little bit, teaching her the rudiments of swordplay and, even more helpfully, providing her with a mock duel. He'd kept that part of his promise as well—he hadn't gone easy on her, and won quite handily, but he was pleased to see she'd acquitted herself well and didn't complain a bit when she'd lost.

"Thank you," she replied. "You're a fine teacher, Raven. How long have you been fighting like this? You seem quite experienced."

"Not very. I'm only nineteen."

"N-nineteen? Forgive me, I didn't…I thought you were a little older, from your bearing."

He smirked. "I get that a lot."

"That being the case, Raven, could I ask you another question?"

"What is it?"

"What drew you to the mercenary life? You know the reasons my sisters and I became Pegasus Knights…our country needs us. But what of yourself? I never thought I'd meet someone so young who was also so skilled."

Raven stayed silent for a moment, pondering how much to say to this woman—if anything at all. He came to the conclusion that she wasn't a bad sort. She was a capable fighter and a loyal ally, having saved his life the first time they'd met. Why not let her know what man he really was?

"Revenge," he stated, coldly and bluntly.

She stared at him, seemingly surprised.

"That's all I'll tell you for now." He shrugged. "I bet you're disappointed, right? I don't have any great, or even decent moral reasons for doing what I do. You, you're in this business to keep your families alive. I'm just fighting for my own selfish reasons. I don't have the strength to love my enemies, as the Elimineans say to do. Maybe you're stronger than I am after all."

And with that, he stood up and walked away.

-X-

Raven was in trouble, and he knew it. He'd been careless, and managed to get himself surrounded. Half a dozen Armor Knights were closing in, and he couldn't find a way through them—his trusty Steel Blade wouldn't be enough to punch through their defenses in time.

Fortunately, however, a Heavy Spear would do the trick.

A flash of white came from above, punching a hole through the chest of one of the Knights. It descended again, leaving another dead. This left Raven an opportunity, spinning and thrusting his weapon under the helmet and into the neck of a third Knight. And working together, he and his rescuer were able to dispatch the remaining three with little difficulty.

He looked at the Pegasus Knight wiping the blood off of her Heavy Spear—the same one he had simply up and left at the campfire last night. "Doing your duty as a mercenary, Fiora?"

She shook her head. "Doing my duty for a friend, Raven."

"A friend? Me? I'm simply a sellsword out for revenge while you're out fighting for your people. What makes you think we're friends?"

She wouldn't be dissuaded. "Raven, I am a knight, but…I've seen enough of the world to understand that not everyone must follow the same code I do. You may fight for revenge, but I'm certain you have just reasons for doing so."

"What makes you say that?"

"I've seen you fight, and it has _never_ been only for yourself. You've saved my life in battle, and I've seen you go out of your way for the red-haired Troubador and the blond-haired monk. They're your friends, aren't they? If they weren't, you would have simply abandoned them, but you never have."

Raven had to admit this was true. He tried not to let it show, but he couldn't hide a small grin. "Heh…I guess you're right."

"So…what does that make us?"

"I guess we're friends."

-X-

Their quest had finally ended. This meant that Raven would have to decide what to do next…whether it was continuing his mercenary work a little while longer, or, with Hector placid and complacent after his best friend's epic victory, to carry through with his revenge.

Eliwood's Elite had made landfall on Valor for the final assault on Nergal's stronghold, and they had at last triumphed, slaying the evil sorcerer along with the Dragon he had summoned. Now they were sailing back to Elibe on Farghus' ship, all of them ecstatic that the battle was finally over and they could return home.

Except for Raven, standing alone on the deck of the ship, watching the stars in the night sky above him. Did he even have a home to return to? That was, after all, why he'd become a mercenary, and why he wanted revenge on the Ostians who'd destroyed his family.

Yet, as he heard steps coming up on the deck behind him, it dawned on him that there were perhaps more important things in life than revenge.

"You really like the stars, don't you, Raven?" Fiora smiled as she walked up to him.

He shrugged, but smiled back. "Keeps me at ease. There's not much else that's constant in the life of a mercenary, after all."

"Indeed, that's true." She sighed. "Wherever we go after this, at least we'll each be looking at the same sky at night."

"Yeah…" After a pause, Raven looked at her. "Fiora…"

"What is it?"

"Hm." He paused, thinking of how to put it. "Fiora, now that the war against Nergal is over…what do you plan to do?"

"Go back to Ilia, of course. My duty to my nation will last my entire life." She seemed a little sad. "I suppose this is where we part ways…"

"Maybe not. How'd you like it if I came to Ilia with you?"

"R…Raven," she stammered, somewhat surprised. "Truly? But why?"

"What, you don't think we've made a decent team so far?"

"We have, but…what about your reasons for becoming a mercenary? What about your revenge, Raven?"

"Yeah. About that…" He turned his gaze away from her, back to the stars.

"I've been thinking about that." His commander's best friend—Hector—ran through his mind. "I…I've actually been fighting alongside the person I wanted revenge against."

"Truly?"

"Yeah. Not you, Fiora. Someone from Lycia. And the more I fought with him, the more it seemed to me, that…well, let's just say someone wronged me and my family a few years ago. I don't think it was him."

"I…is that so?"

"Yeah. After all, like you said, nobody in Eliwood's army could be that bad. When my family was…when it happened, I mean, all I wanted was for someone to blame…someone I could lash out at in my anger. I selected him, but now after fighting Nergal, and after everything you and I have been through together…" He shook his head."I realized there were more important things…"

Raven then gave Fiora something she almost never saw on his face: A smile.

"You're one of those important things, Fiora."

She said nothing in response, a blush slowly creeping across her face.

"So how about it? You didn't answer my question. Want to continue fighting alongside me?"

"Raven, I…I would be honored."

"Sounds like a deal, then."

He said that casually, as if it were nothing at all, and returned to his stargazing, trying to make it seem as if his promise to Fiora didn't mean anything significant to him.

Fiora knew better, of course. For, despite his attempts to hide it, she noticed the smile had returned to his face when she laid her head on his shoulder.


End file.
